At least one business owner is upset with Red Deer city council’s decision to nix a winter patio for the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
Sunworks Coconut Room owner and former city councillor Paul Harris said he is upset because council didn’t consider talking to downtown businesses before making their decision. Harris’s business is located on 50 Street near the Ross Street patio.
“I think it was very short sighted,” he said. “It’s a little bit of a lost opportunity because we were planning to do things outside like outdoor festivals.”
Council voted 6-3 against spending $45,000 to keep the patio running for Canada Winter Games. In a subsequent decision, council approved spending $30,000 into other downtown winter games programming.
The cost of installing and removing the patio is $45,000, and another $25,000 for plants and landscaping.
Harris said, if money was the problem, council could have asked downtown business owners for funding with programming instead of cancelling the patio for the games altogether.
Council brought up parking as an issue with the patio during their discussion. Coun. Frank Wong said the patio would reduce parking at a busy time when the city would be full of people.
Harris did not agree.
When parking is out, foot traffic increases and more customers come in because it becomes a pedestrian friendly street, he said.
“I really resent that they would fake that they know what’s best for the downtown businesses,” he said.
Just down the street another business owner disagreed.
Between the parking and the patio, Mir Wais Berey, King Donair owner, would rather have the parking.
He said his lunch customers are usually in a rush with no time to find parking. He said in their pursuit of finding a parking spot, they may even find another place to eat and he would miss out on his lunch business.
Amanda Gould, Red Deer Downtown Business Association executive director, said the cancellation of the patio news initially hit her hard. But that changed when she saw that council was using a portion of the savings for other type of downtown programming for the games.
“When we work closely with the city on this, we’ll be able to benefit, not just businesses in one area but the whole downtown in multiple locations potentially,” she said.
Gould said the patio would’ve benefited downtown businesses directly but the decision is still a positive one.
“With the wider programming area brings in more benefits to everyone,” she said.
She said in her experience downtown businesses mostly support having Ross Street Patio. She said it brings vibrancy and activity and a place for people to congregate – something that residents, businesses and all downtown users look forward to.
She echoed Harris’s views on parking downtown. She said although there are high use parking areas towards Ross Street compared to Gaetz, that doesn’t mean there are parking issues.
“If we can get on top of managing that, I don’t think parking is an issue at all,” she said.
mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com
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